The Closet
by JPsmiles
Summary: A what happened next for the episode Mind Games.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Closet

Summary: A what happened next for the episode Mind Games.

Warnings: Spoilers for Mind Games

Face bolted upright in his bed and stifled the scream that threatened to escape. Feeling the bile rise in his throat, he covered his mouth with his hands and barely made it to the bathroom in time.

He flushed the bowl and sat down hard on the tile floor. Sweating and shaking, he held his head in his hands and let the tears flow.

It had hurt when he found out the pardon was false; that he had been played for a fool. It had hurt even more when he came face to face with General Chow again. But, what hurt the most was facing the guys and trying to amend the damage he had done. They had actually been quite tolerant of him through the whole ordeal, never saying "I told you so" or trying to make him feel worse than he did. They knew he was quite capable of beating himself up enough on his own.

Early that morning, they laughed as Face had been put into a straight jacket and carted off to the ambulance instead of Murdock. Face protested and put up a fight, but truth be told, it was all for show. He figured he deserved it as much as they deserved a chance to have a little fun at his expense.

What was meant to be a harmless joke, however, had repercussions for the con man that nobody could have predicted.

It was no laughing matter for Face when hours later he was still in a straight jacket locked inside a storage closet in the VA. When the orderlies had realized they had returned without Murdock, they stuck him there until they could figure out what was really going on. Unfortunately, they were so preoccupied with finding their real charge, that they completely forgot about Face.

Sweat poured down his face, but he was unable to wipe it away with his arms pinned down. His muscles ached and his heart pounded wildly in his chest. It was hot and dark and he was finding it harder and harder to breathe. The longer he sat there unable to move, the more panicked he became. The last time he had been restrained like this was back in the camps. He knew that this wasn't the same thing, but the feelings came flooding back just the same.

Finally, he heard a key in the lock and the door opened to find a very nervous looking orderly on the other side. The young man hurriedly undid Face's restraints mumbling something about how he could lose his job over this. But Face didn't care nor did he plan on waiting around long enough to find out about his employment status.

As soon as he was free he stumbled out the door and fled for the exit as fast as his shaky legs would carry him. He didn't stop running until he was safely off the property and out of site. He collapsed to his knees and started to vomit repeatedly as if trying to purge the memories from his mind.

When the nausea subsided, Face pulled himself up and started walking. In his hurry to escape, he hadn't even noticed how dark it was outside. He glanced at his watch to see it was nearing 10:00pm, meaning it had been over 12 hours since he had been apprehended. It had felt so much longer.

It was near midnight by the time Face paid the taxi cab driver and entered the posh apartment building he had been staying at. Riding the elevator up to his penthouse suite, he felt dizzy and weak. He hoped the others had left by now or at least that they were sleeping if they had decided to stay.

To his dismay, he opened the door to find his three very awake teammates staring at him.

"It's about time, Facey. We were starting to get worried about you," Murdock smiled.

"Yeah?" Face questioned listlessly.

"Yeah, man," B.A. chided, "Took you long enough to break outta that joint. You must be losin' your touch."

"Must be," Face said looking down at the ground.

Hannibal didn't like the sound of his Lieutenant's voice. "C'mon Face, you can't be angry at us. You have to admit that you had it coming to you."

Face looked up, but didn't make eye contact with any of the men. "I know I did," he said sadly. "But I didn't think they would do that to me."

"Whatcha' talkin' about, fool?"

"What are you talking about, Face?" Hannibal reiterated. "Do what to you?"

"Never mind," he quickly said. He had already caused them enough trouble; he would deal with the consequences on his own. And it was just a joke…they meant no harm.

Murdock stood up and started walking toward his best friend, but stopped short as Face backed away. "What exactly happened after you left here, Muchacho?"

Face shuddered violently and reached out for the wall to keep him upright. "Nothing. I'm just really tired."

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. stared at Face slowly walking toward his bedroom unsure what to do.

Face turned around before disappearing into the room and said in a small voice, "I really am sorry, you know…about everything…really sorry."

And now he sat there in the on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night…or early morning…wondering how things could go from so good to so bad in such a short period of time.

Just the day before he was Templeton Peck, free man and media darling. He let the whole thing go to his head; he acted like a first-class jerk and it embarrassed him to even think about it. He had wanted that pardon so badly that it clouded his judgment; the con-man had been conned.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Closet

Summary: A what happened next for the episode Mind Games.

Warnings: Spoilers for Mind Games

There was a knock on the door. "Face, you alright in there?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute," he said, tearing some toilet paper off the roll to dry his eyes. He swayed as he stood up, and held on to the sink waiting to regain his equilibrium. He took a look at himself in the mirror and groaned at what he saw: a complete mess. And when Face opened the door moments later, Hannibal couldn't help but notice the same thing.

"Geez, kid, you look awful."

Face gave a hollow laugh. "Thanks a lot." He moved past Hannibal and sat down on the bed. "I've had better days," he tried to joke.

Hannibal took a seat next to Face. "You wanna talk about it?"

Face shook his head 'no'. "There's nothing to talk about. I messed up and acted like a fool."

"True," Hannibal admitted. "But haven't we all at some point?" He didn't wait for an answer before adding, "we're really sorry it didn't work out for you, but we're not sorry you'll be sticking around."

Face looked over at him and smiled. "Thanks."

"Now, about what happened at the VA..."

Face cut him off. "It was nothing," he said with as much conviction as he could muster up.

Hannibal wasn't convinced; he had heard Face getting sick from the other room. And looking at the pale face, red-rimmed eyes and sweat soaked torso of his friend, he knew all was not right with the younger man. He also looked as if he were about to drop from exhaustion and Hannibal decided now might not be the time to push things.

Hannibal stood up and put his hand on Face's shoulder. "Okay, kid. Let's put this last week behind us and move on. No real damage done, right?"

Face nodded. "Right," he said, though he knew it was a lie...he had been damaged. He made his own bed and now he had to lie in it. But right now he just wanted to pull the covers over his head and hide.

Face sped down the highway in his Corvette. Top down and music blaring, he tried to block everything else from his mind. Ironically, being locked inside the closet a couple of weeks earlier had unlocked memories of a past he had been trying to leave behind.

Dressed up in his "doctor" gear, complete with white lab coat and stethoscope around the neck, Face pulled into the hospital parking lot. He sat there for a bit trying to work out the details of how he was going to get into Murdock's room. Suddenly, it all seemed like too much effort. He was exhausted and he cringed at the thought of having to work his charms on some nurse for the next fifteen minutes.

"Time to do this the old fashioned way," he mumbled as he quickly made his way along the outdoor path. He took a look around to make sure nobody was watching before he jumped and grabbed the fire escape ladder. Pulling himself up, he climbed the rest of the way until he was right under Murdock's window. Face paused for a second trying to catch his breath, surprised at how winded he was.

He knocked on the window and waited for a singing Murdock to let him in. "Knock three times on the window if you want me..."

"Murdock, I believe it's 'knock on the ceiling'," Face corrected while ducking his head and climbing inside.

"Knocking on the ceiling would require a ladder," Murdock replied matter of factly. "You know Faceguy, my doctors don't usually break in through my window when they want to see me."

Face had forgotten that he was still donning his physician apparel. "Um...yeah...last minute change in plans." He sat down on the bed with a sigh.

Face wasn't himself since the false pardon. Murdock could almost feel the tension building up inside of him. Face was the ultimate control freak; he liked everything to appear perfect from the outside. Everything had to be in place, and this included his emotions. There was a place for them, but it was hidden deep inside where only he could find them. But now they uncharacteristically seemed to be rising to the surface.

Face stood and began pacing back and forth across the room. Not wanting to say the wrong thing and shut Face down, Murdock decided to stay quiet and let Face lead the conversation. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long before Face blurted out, "I started having nightmares again."

Murdock raised his eyebrows, but still said nothing. Face had suffered from awful nightmares in the years immediately following Nam.

"They feel so real. God…I don't know if I can go through this…don't know if I can handle the dreams again." Face stopped pacing and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "Is it hot in here or is it me?" he asked.

Murdock got up, put his arm around Face and led him back over to the bed. "Why don't you just sit back down for a minute, muchacho?

"I'm just so...so...," Face stammered looking down at his hands as if the answer was written there.

"Just say it...let it out."

"Tired. I'm just tired." Face lay back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Have you tried to talk to Hannibal about any of this?"

Face snorted, "Yeah right, he'll just tell me I'm getting soft and make me scale down a mountain or something. No, thank you." He closed his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't come here to cry on your shoulder."

Murdock looked down at his right shoulder and gave it a wiggle. "You sure? This shoulder is all warmed up and ready to go…it's water resistant too." When Face didn't so much as crack a smile, Murdock looked down at him with concern. "You sure you're feeling alright, Faceman?"

Realizing that he had let his guard slip, Face immediately sat up and changed the subject. "We better get out of here before somebody catches us."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Murdock said while grabbing his bomber jacket. "We have some new orderlies around here that are still learning the ropes."

Face felt his stomach drop; it was probably one of them that had stuck him inside of that closet. He broke out in a cold sweat and had the sudden urge to run. He practically knocked over Murdock in his haste to get back out the window.

"Face!" Murdock called once he had righted himself. "And they say I'm they crazy one," he muttered as he took chase after his fleeing friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Closet

Summary: A what happened next for the episode Mind Games.

Warnings: Spoilers for Mind Games

Face heard the pounding of his heart in his ears. Louder and louder he heard the "thump, thump, thump" and it only propelled him forward. Reaching the bottom rung of the fire escape ladder, he jumped wildly and landed awkwardly on the ground below him.

Face felt his knee "pop", but there was no pain. That was the wonderful thing about adrenaline. He took off half-running, half-limping toward the Vette, oblivious to Murdock's fast approaching footsteps.

"Face!" Murdock yelled, "Wait up!" He watched Face jump behind the wheel of the car and sprinted the rest of the way and threw himself inside just in time. If Face hadn't been slowed by his knee, he would have been left behind in the dust. Tires screeching, they peeled off onto the road, both men gasping for air.

When the burning sensation in his lungs had subsided enough to get the words out, Murdock said loudly, "pull over, Face." Face stared straight ahead, still breathing hard, and lost in his own world. "Lieutenant Peck, as your superior officer, I order you to pull over!"

Face blinked rapidly and shook his head slightly as if trying to clear his mind. He looked over at Murdock, fear and confusion in his eyes.

"Pull over, Face," Murdock said gently. Face did as he was told, and eased the car to the side of the road.

"I'm sorry," Face said softly.

"What just happened? What made you run?"

"I don't know," Face lied. He knew what happened, he just wish he had known how to stop it.

"C'mon, Face. This is me, Murdock. You bestest buddy in the whole wide world. What's going on with you lately…you can talk to me."

"I know I can," Face sighed. "It's just that I haven't been sleeping too well. I'm just overtired." Murdock gave him a doubtful look. Face tried to joke, "really, I'll be okay. But, neither one of us will be okay if we don't meet Hannibal and B.A."

"Fine," Murdock conceded. There was no getting through to Face when he was like this. "You okay to drive?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Murdock rolled his eyes. "Um, for starters, you just freaked out in my room and ran away like you had seen a ghost. Not to mention that from the way you were running, it looks like you busted up your leg back there…doesn't it hurt?"

"No." Or at least it hadn't until Murdock mentioned it. Now, he was starting to feel a dull ache in his left knee. "Murdock, nobody drives my Vette but me."

"You sound like B.A. with his van."

"In that case, can we stop the jibber-jabber and get on with it?" Face asked, turning the key in the ignition.

"Okay, but at least let me call Hannibal and tell him we're on our way."

Face nodded, but stopped Murdock before he had a chance to dial the number. "Can we keep what happened between you and me?"

"Yeah, but next time you act crazier than me…"

Face cut him off. "There won't be a next time." Or at least he hoped there wouldn't be; he had to get control over his memories before they took control over him.

"Well, what'd he say? They better have a good excuse for bein' late," B.A. grumbled.

"Murdock said they ran into a little trouble at the VA, but that they are on their way."

"Faceman gonna be real mad when he find out you lied to him."

"I didn't lie, B.A. I told him that we had to discuss our next case…and we do."

B.A. put down the glass of milk he had been drinking and gave Hannibal a quizzical look. "Before or after you give him the third degree?"

"After," Hannibal admitted. Something had been bothering Face for weeks now. His usually outgoing Lieutenant had suddenly become withdrawn and sullen.

"He probably still mad that he didn't get that pardon."

"I'm sure that's part of it. But I think there's more going on with him."

"What if he don't wanna talk?"

"We don't let him leave until he does. Got it?"

"Yeah, man…I got it."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Closet

Summary: A what happened next for the episode Mind Games.

Warnings: Spoilers for Mind Games

Face stood leaning heavily against the side of his car. It had only taken one attempt of putting weight on his left leg to realize that he wasn't walking anywhere without some help. Murdock wordlessly slipped himself under Face's shoulder and together they made their way toward Hannibal's apartment.

B.A. opened the door before they had a chance to knock. "What happened to you, man?" he asked while holding the door open for the pair to move inside.

Face was too preoccupied by pain, so Murdock said, "We had to make a quick escape out my window. Face landed wrong when he jumped." He eased the injured man onto the couch and stepped back to give Hannibal room to move in.

"How bad?" Hannibal questioned.

Murdock shrugged his shoulders. "He can't put any weight on it."

"He can answer for himself," Face said through gritted teeth. "And I'm…"

"Fine," the other three finished his sentence for him.

"You getting' predictable, fool."

"Murdock, Grab me a pair of scissors from the kitchen, would ya?"

"Sure thing, Colonel."

Face shook his head. "Oh no you don't. You're no cutting up these pants! Do you know how much Armani is going for these days?"

"It's either that or you strip. And seeing that we don't want to see you in your drawers, we do it my way."

Face lay his head back on the couch in defeat. He really didn't care all that much about the pants anyway. It was just another part of his act he felt he had to perform to keep the others satisfied.

Hannibal began cutting away at the pants and Face closed his eyes not quite sure he wanted to see what was underneath. That idea went out the door as Hannibal began probing his knee. Face's eyes flew open and he tried to pull away.

"Sorry, kid," Hannibal sympathized, while reaching over and putting a hand in Face's shoulder to keep him down. "Looks like the knee cap is dislocated."

"You must have left it back at the VA, Facey," Murdock joked.

"Just like you left your mind there," B.A. teased.

"Maybe the big guy and I could help you relocate it?"

Hannibal glanced at Face and saw that he had been distracted by the playful banter. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he swiftly took hold of the knee and pushed it back into place.

Face gasped and went from a pasty white to a shade of green in a matter of seconds.

"Jesus Hannibal," he moaned. "A little warning before you do that would be nice." But Face knew that Hannibal had done him a favor; if he had known what was coming he would have only tensed up making it far worse.

Noticing the rapid breathing and sickly pallor of his friend, Hannibal felt a pang of guilt. "You feel like you are going to be sick?" Face moaned in the affirmative. "Just lay still...try to slow your breathing."

Looking over at B.A., Hannibal didn't have to say a word before B.A. said, "On it," and left the room. When you had been together for so many years, sometimes all it took was a look to know what the other person was thinking. B.A. returned moments later with an ace bandage, a glass of water, and a bucket…just in case.

Hannibal waited until Face's breathing returned to normal and he no longer looked as if he needed the bucket before tightly wrapping the knee. He figured this was as good a time as any to get down to the matter at hand.

"We need to talk, Lieutenant."

Face recognized the serious tone of his voice and tried to play innocent. "About the new job? As long as I don't have to jump any fences or chase any bad guys, I should be fine."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about you."

"What about me?"

Out of his pocket he pulled a cigar. "Well, to be blunt," he pointed the cigar at Face, "you look like crap."

"Gee, thanks, Colonel. How about I pull one of your joints in and out of socket and see what you look like afterward?"

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."

"You ain't been yourself lately, man," B.A. chimed in.

"Oh really," Face said crossing his arms defensively. "And just who have I been?"

"Your double talkin' might work with some folk, but it ain't gonna work with us, sucker."

"What B.A, is trying to say is that we can see that something isn't right, and we just want to help."

"Well, thanks for the concern, but I'm fine...case closed."

Murdock had been fidgeting nervously in the corner, torn between keeping his earlier promise to Face and his sincere concern for the man. Face had always been there for him when he was having problems and he loved the man too much to stand by and say nothing. "You're not fine, buddy," he said softly.

"Murdock," Face said, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Murdock took a deep breath and said a silent prayer that he was doing the right thing. "He's having nightmares again," he blurted out.

The room went silent and all eyes turned to Face who was looking into his lap trying to avoid them. "It's just a few bad dreams."

Hannibal walked over and took a seat next to Face, who immediately tensed up. "About what?"

"None of your business. Can you all please just leave me alone?"

"No can do, Muchacho."

He stood up; grimacing at the strain on his knee. "Well if you won't leave me alone, then I'll do the leaving." He started limping away.

"We're not done here, Lieutenant."

"Yes, we are," Face seethed through gritted teeth, as he painfully continued toward the door. Determined to get out of the room as quickly as possible, he didn't notice B.A. coming and grabbing his arms from behind.

"You ain't leaving until you talk to us, man." B.A.s hold was firm, but his words were soft. It was of no matter because Face couldn't hear him anyway; he could only feel his arms being pinned down again as they had been weeks earlier and many years ago.

Face felt hot and cold all at once. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't find his voice. He wanted to fight, but he was paralyzed by fear. His chest felt tight and he struggled to breathe. The room swirled around him; he could feel himself growing weak. And then everything went black.

Hannibal and Murdock watched as Face's eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Closet

Summary: A what happened next for the episode Mind Games.

Warnings: Spoilers for Mind Games

B.A. felt him falling and immediately stepped back and let his body slide carefully to the ground. "What the hell?" he exclaimed. "I didn't do nothin' but hold him."

"It's not your fault, big guy," Murdock consoled, patting him on the shoulder. He turned and went to the kitchen to get a wet rag.

Hannibal grabbed a pillow from the couch and placed under the fallen man's head. Looking at his watch, he placed two fingers to Face's neck and began to count. After a minute, he sat back on the ground and said, "it's fast…but not too bad, considering what just happened."

"But, what did just happen?" B.A. asked out loud to nobody in particular.

Hannibal looked at Murdock who returned from the kitchen and handed him the rag. "Do you know something, Captain?

Murdock pulled his cap off and ran a hand through his hair. "Not really. He looked real bad when he picked me up. He told me he was having nightmares again...but then he just freaked out. He was running like a man possessed...I just wish I knew what he was running from."

Face began to moan softly. Hannibal placed the cool cloth on his forehead and started talking to him softly. Face's eyelids fluttered open and he looked around in confusion. "What…what happened?" He tried to sit up, but decided against it and collapsed back as a wave of nausea hit him.

"Don't move yet, Face. You passed out in B.A.'s arms a few minutes ago."

"I what? How embarrassing," he groaned.

"Ain't nothin' to be embarrassed about, Faceman. I didn't hurt ya, did I?"

Something about B.A.'s downcast stance and anxious tone got Face's attention. He realized that in his attempt to handle things himself, all he had accomplished was dragging the others into it more. He had already asked Murdock to lie for him and now he had B.A. thinking that he hurt him.

He had to put a stop to it now and come clean. "You didn't hurt me, B.A. When you grabbed me it just reminded me of what happened at the V.A."

The three other team members looked at each other trying to gauge if someone had a clue as to what Face was talking about. Murdock and B.A. shrugged their shoulders at Hannibal prompting him to ask, "Face, what are you talking about?"

In typical con man style, he forced his fear aside and said with as much composure as he could muster up, "If I'm going to bare my soul, I'd rather my body not be on the floor."

Hannibal and B.A. each took a side and assisted Face off the floor. They could feel his body trembling as they took most of his weight and helped him hobble over to the couch. Once seated, he accepted the glass of water B.A. had gotten earlier and drank the whole thing straight down. Ironically, his throat still felt bone dry.

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. sat silent, waiting for Face to begin. "When I got to the VA, they locked me in a closet stuck inside that straight jacket." Face felt his fear rising; his heart started to pound. "It was so d…d…dark. I couldn't move…or…or…breath," he stuttered. Even now, he was finding it increasingly difficult to get the air in or out.

"Oh no," Murdock groaned lowering his head. "No wonder you've been having nightmares."

Face nodded sadly. "Being kidnapped by General Chow the day before didn't help things. It's like it all came back to me at once…everything I had tried to forget…it all came back."

"Oh God, Face," Hannibal said, taking a seat next to his distressed Lieutenant. "We had no idea."

"My fault…not your problem," he said breathlessly.

"Ain't none of this your fault, Faceman," B.A. said angrily.

"Yes…yes, it is. I chose…a pardon…over you guys." Face slumped forward and was almost hyperventilating by this point.

Hannibal put a supportive hand on Face's back. "Slow your breathing down before you make yourself sick."

"Too late," he mumbled, reaching for the bucket in front of him. Hannibal kept his hand on Face's back as he heaved, while Murdock and B.A. slipped out of the room to give them some privacy.

Once Face's stomach stopped rebelling, Hannibal eased him back until he was laying horizontally on the couch. Exhausted physically and mentally, he closed his eyes in the hopes that when he next opened them he would find that it had all been a bad dream.

"Go to sleep, kid," Hannibal said. "We'll talk more later."

Later came in less than an hour's time when the three men heard a gut-wrenching scream coming from the living room. They jumped up from the kitchen table and scrambled toward the door nearly getting stuck in the door frame. B.A. held back allowing Hannibal and Murdock to go before him; B.A. hated seeing one of his friends suffer…especially Face.

Face was thrashing around on the couch, muttering incoherently. Hannibal and Murdock each stood on one side of the couch, ready to take action if need be. It had been years since they found themselves in this particular situation, but they knew what they had to do, and were ready.

Until he was fully awake, they always took extreme precaution when Face was having a nightmare. He could go from sleep to attack mode in a matter of seconds, completely unaware of where he was or what he was doing.

Hannibal looked at Murdock to see if he was ready, and received a nod in reply. "Face," Hannibal said loudly. "Face, wake up."

Face continued to moan and throw his limbs about wildly as if trying to fight off an attacker. He let out another scream and then became completely still.

"What in the…" B.A. said inching closer, his voice trailing off. This was unlike anything he had ever seen before.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Closet

Summary: A what happened next for the episode Mind Games.

Warnings: Spoilers for Mind Games

"Face," Hannibal tried again. "Can you hear me?"

Face opened his eyes, but kept them focused on the ceiling.

Murdock leaned forward, and reached out toward Face. Face shot his arm up and grabbed Murdock by the wrist.

"Damn, he's not awake," Hannibal said. "B.A., get ready in case he runs."

"Right."

Murdock was trying to pry Face's fingers off of him, while trying to bring him back around. "Face, it's me buddy. C'mon Face…wakey, wakey…my wrist you're gonna breaky, breaky."

Face was fighting against the enemy. He held the wrist tightly, trying with all his might to keep the knife from slashing him again. His assailant began to talk and sounded a lot like…Murdock? Face blinked his eyes as the VC he had a death grip on morphed into his best friend.

Face let go of Murdock as if he was letting go of a hot coal. "M…M…Murdock?"

"The one and only," he replied with a smile while shaking out his hand and trying to get some feeling back. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No, fool, he was just practicin' his arm wrestling skills," B.A. scoffed.

"In that case, Face wins," Murdock joked.

"Oh God…I'm so sorry…I thought you were…it was so real," Face stammered. He swung his legs over the side of the couch, wincing at the pain in his knee, and moved as if to stand up, but paused as Hannibal put a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa…where do you think you're going?"

"I think I better go. I'm causing nothing but trouble lately." Face shook off Hannibal's hand and stood up. He swayed on the way up and took a few wobbly steps before B.A. grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Faceman, you one stubborn dude. Now, would you sit back down before you fall back down and I hafta catch you again?"

Face thought about protesting, but he knew B.A. was right. If he tried to leave, he wasn't going to make it very far in his condition. The lack of sleep coupled with a few skipped meals was starting to catch up with him. He allowed himself to be led over to an oversized chair. He sat down gingerly and put his head down in his hands. "I don't know why you guys put up with me."

"Face, I think you're being a little too hard on yourself," Hannibal answered. "I just hope you can forgive us."

Face looked up in shock. "Forgive you? For what? I'm the one whose head doubled in size."

"More like tripled," Murdock joked, and the others nodded in agreement...Face included.

"But seriously," Hannibal said looking Face straight in the eye, "we had no idea about what was happening to you at the VA. We should have realized that something was wrong when you didn't come back, but we figured you were cooling off somewhere."

"You didn't need to go through that again...and for that we will forever be sorry," Murdock added.

"You guys have nothing to apologize for…you didn't know. Besides, if I hadn't gotten all caught up in that pardon nonsense, none of this would have happened! You know the funny thing? I'm not even upset that it wasn't real. I'm more upset that I was so quick to leave you guys." Face hung his head. "What kind of a man does that make me?"

"It makes you human, Faceman!" B.A. exclaimed. Softening his voice he continued, "even though you don't talk about it much, we know you had it rough as a kid. This was your first chance at a normal life and there ain't nothin' wrong with wantin' that. Hell...we wanted it for you too! We didn't look at it as you runnin' out on us, we looked at it as you running toward something somethin' else."

Face looked up with moist eyes; he hadn't expected anything like that to come out of B.A. Of any of the guys, he expected B.A. to be the hardest on him and the last one to understand. Touched by the words, he was rendered speechless.

Also speechless were Hannibal and Murdock, who stood there staring at B.A. in awe.

"What you fools starin' at? What, you think 'cause I don't go flappin' my gums all the time like you three that I don't got anything to say?"

"No...but that was really nice...you big softie you!" Murdock said running over and giving B.A. a hug.

"Get off me, crazy man," B.A. growled. "I may be a softie, but I hit really hard."

Murdock unwrapped his arms and backed up slowly, his hands in front of his face as a shield.

"I thought that's what I wanted...a normal life."

"You thought you wanted a normal life, what do you think now?" Murdock asked.

"I kind of like my life the way it is right now. I mean, sure, I could do without the nightmares...without Decker chasing us...without getting shot at...without getting beat up...without..."

Hannibal cut him off. "Um, I think we get the point."

"But I couldn't do without you guys." Face sagged slightly in the chair and covered his mouth with his hand covering up a yawn.

"Want to know something else you can't do without?" Murdock asked.

"What's that?"

"Sleep!" they all responded.

Face shook his head 'no' while fighting to keep his eyes open. "If I sleep I'm just going to have more nightmares."

Hannibal grabbed a blanket off the couch and put it over Face's lap. "You can't stay awake forever, Face."

"Yeah, man. Don't worry...we got your back."

"And your front and sides, too!" Murdock said, eliciting an irritated look from B.A. "Pardon me, B.A., for trying to make my pal Faceman here feel better."

"Did you have to say the word 'pardon'?" Face moaned, before his eyelids finally became too heavy for him to keep up.

And when the next nightmare came a few hours later, the team was waiting.

The End


End file.
